Planning Your Path to Graduate School Success

Career Pathways

Postdoctoral Training

Finding a Postdoc

The Perfect Postdoc: A Primer – Jim Austin, Science CareersQ: How do you find the perfect postdoc?A: The perfect postdoc doesn’t exist.
Whether you’ve just started graduate school, are halfway through, or are finishing your Ph.D., it’s never too soon to start thinking about the next step. Keep reading…

Ten Simple Rules for Selecting a Postdoctoral Position– Philip W. Bourne, Iddo Friedberg, PLOS/plog.org (Computational Biology)
You are a PhD candidate and your thesis defense is already in sight. You have decided you would like to continue with a postdoctoral position rather than moving into industry as the next step. Keep reading…

Finding the Perfect Postdoc for You – Carol Manahan, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Postdoctoral Association
Since finding a good postdoctoral position (postdoc) is vital for your career aspirations, you should approach the postdoc search professionally. I would like to share with you what I have learned. Keep reading…

How many postdocs have you in your lab and what are they doing now? How long were they in the lab?

How much overlap is there between projects? Do people work collaboratively or independently?

Are you planning on staying at the university for the near future?

Would I be able to move a faculty position with a project from this lab? What arrangements were made with previous postdocs? What materials may I take with me?

How is the lab organized?

setting up collaborations with other laboratories

supervising undergraduates/graduate students, technicians

authorship of papers

writing grants

presenting talks in the department

regular lab meetings

journal clubs

What technical help for routine lab tasks or departmental resources (e.g., computer programming or support) are available for the projects that I will be doing?

What is your current funding for this position? For the lab? Will I have the opportunity to write grants proposals, what money is available in the department or lab to pilot new projects/gather preliminary data?

What skills would you advise me to gain while I am in this position?

teaching

grant writing

personnel training

lab management

Will I need to look outside the lab for some, such as teaching?

How many publications do you think a postdoc should have prior to looking for a job? What are your criteria for authorship?

Are you looking for someone to work on a specific project or will I have a choice of projects? (How much freedom will I have?)

What are your expectations of how long I am to stay?

How many professional meetings per year do your postdocs attend? What are your criteria for attending meetings?